Clinical assessment of the leg for a suspected deep vein thrombosis

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

In this article…

• Understanding the risk factors for deep vein thrombosis

• Diagnostic testing to inform an assessment

• How to assess the leg for a suspected deep vein thrombosis

Abstract

Nurses will increasingly have to identify and assess for deep vein thrombosis in both primary and secondary care, and so they need the skills to assess the clinical risk of the patient. This article explains how to: understand deep vein thrombosis in terms of its associated risk factors, use the two-level Wells score for estimating a patient’s risk, and carry out a leg assessment for a suspected deep vein thrombosis.